


Blood Moon

by ilandalandan



Category: ENHYPEN (Band), I-LAND (Korea TV)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Blood and Gore, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Kitsune, Military Science Fiction, Phoenix - Freeform, Supernatural Elements, Urban Fantasy, Werewolf, Witch - Freeform, baku, hellhound, vampire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:01:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27163576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilandalandan/pseuds/ilandalandan
Summary: Gods. Warriors. Monsters. Demons. For thousands of years, the members of their misshapen pack have filled in numerous roles across different cultures in a forgotten history. Now they just want peace. For creatures like them however, that’s too much to ask.Meanwhile, Kei just wanted to help what he thought was a bunch of teenagers.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 26





	Blood Moon

**Author's Note:**

> **Hahahaha what am I doing I have a shitload of WIPs but I can't stop and they can't expect us not to make a fanfic inspired by that kind of trailer man**
> 
> **EDIT: Damn that second trailer being released while I was proofreading this. But oh well I'm sticking to my AU because haha I've already plotted it. Besides, we have an extensive creatures list. I will be wrong, no matter what lol**

> _Once, during a time long forgotten, the seven of them were known as the Eternal Children. They did not age nor did they die: they simply were, meant to live and be, forevermore. But far from simply undying, the Eternal Children were powerful. What their powers were, people did not know. But with them, the people were safe. Nothing could harm them._
> 
> _So it was._
> 
> _Time passed. Communities thrived together and then apart, driven into factions by human things: twisted greed or else different beliefs. The seven of them became the Warrior Youth, and fortunate was the village that they served, for their powers, though still wholly unknown, served its purpose. More than just blanketing the people in safety, the Warrior Youth protected and fought. Their presence meant victory._
> 
> _So it was._
> 
> _But people became envious, and the seven of them were eventually named Monsters: beings to be feared and driven away at all costs. And from celebrated creatures, they became symbols of terror and ill fortune. No longer were they placed in pedestals, cast off to the shadows instead, and soon the Monsters faded away as nothing more but a frightening legend as generations passed them by._
> 
> _So it was._
> 
> _Hiding in the darkness, skirting around the edges of a changing world, and it wasn’t surprising how the seven of them were soon called Demons. They leeched off the populace for everything: money and clothing and trinkets, but mostly food. No longer on the receiving end of offerings and gifts, the Demons resorted to taking and stealing, a far cry from what they used to be._
> 
> _But what a funny thing time was. Having already hit the bottom of the deepest abyss, and there was nowhere else to go but up._
> 
> _And so it will be._

There’s a strange kind of comfort in Seoul’s high and reaching skyscrapers. From the ground and with the way the buildings are pointed towards the sky, it almost seems like the world has finally conquered the clouds. That’s not true of course, but Kei prefers seeing it like that. The alternative is far too dreary, and he doesn’t need any more grey to color his already leaden days. 

The rain doesn’t help either, turning everything beneath it into varying shades of dulled silver. Kei watches the pitter-patter from his place inside the 7-Eleven he frequents and reflects on the fact that he’s here a lot regardless of the weather. Watching and waiting is what he does here, meeting up with nee-san who takes advantage of his kindness by assigning him runaway kids just because Kei won’t say no. He always has the option not to take them in of course, but he still does. This is because he still recalls what it feels like, being out there with nowhere to go. 

That being said, Kei wants to help these teenagers in whatever way he can. 

“Hyung?”

He looks away from a hazy view, the glass walls of the convenience store already fogged up, to find a familiar person standing by the automatic doors. Said person works the graveyard shift, midnight to eight in the morning, and Kei should’ve known to time the meeting before his arrival or on his day off. But there’s nothing to be done now, so he simply raises a hand and waves in greeting. 

“Hi Geonu-yah.”

Geonu’s just arrived, late for his shift as usual. The girl he’s replacing is someone Kei hasn’t met yet, so she must be new—she shoots Geonu a dirty look and barks at him to hurry up. But Geonu ignores her and makes a beeline for Kei with judgemental eyes instead. _Here we go,_ he thinks to himself, smile unfaltering. He’s used to getting an earful from his dongsaeng. This is nothing new. 

“Hyung, _you can’t be serious!_ This is the fourth this month!”

Geonu leaves a trail of muddy footprints in his wake, rainwater falling from his hair down to the oversized windbreaker he has on. He’s making a mess but it appears that he doesn’t care: he stops in front of Kei and overdramatically throws his hands in the air. 

“You should say no. Say no, hyung. _Please.”_

Kei shakes his head, smile growing. 

“Sure. No, but to you.”

Geonu makes a garbled, frustrated sound, bangs fluttering wetly on his forehead. He looks upset, but come to think of it, Geonu gets upset about everything with his short temper and all. 

“I can’t believe this. They need to start paying you! Hyung, _they’re using you—_ ”

Kei raises the same hand he had earlier, this time to wave it in front of him in a bid to stop Geonu from continuing further. He’s about to say mean things again, and Kei’s on a mission to break such a habit from the younger boy. The coin always has two sides, and right now (as usual), Geonu is only seeing the one he wants to. He needs to start seeing the flip side of things because that’s just how everything in life is: polar opposites that blend together to form a gray area where the rest of the world resides. 

“That’s enough. And anyway, I already said yes. You can help me out by getting me a week’s supply of ramyeon. Please?”

Geonu glares at him for a little while longer before he finally turns around with an indiscernible grumble. Kei returns his gaze at the foggy glass walls and leaves Geonu to it knowing he’s going to do as his hyung says. Meanwhile, outside the world is still a blur. Some more waiting is in order. It takes another ten minutes or so before nee-san finally arrives, and by then, Geonu has already packed Kei’s ramyeon with a moody pout. From his position behind the counter, he glares at the young woman who walks in, all smiles at Kei as if this is a friendly meeting and not what it really is. 

“Kei-kun!”

Looking up from tracing the edges of the table in front of him, Kei offers the best smile he can considering the circumstances as he stands up and bows for politeness’ sake. 

“Nee-san.” 

Yonamine Haya, like Kei, had been a runaway too. They were similar in a lot of ways: both the undocumented children of overstaying Japanese nationals who had been banned from ever returning to South Korea, they were practically raised by the country’s social services system. But whereas Kei had taken a while to leave the abusive family that adopted him for the sole purpose of getting the monetary government support all foster kids are allotted with, Haya had lasted all but a couple of months in her assigned home before running away at thirteen and finding her place in Yeomni-dong. 

She had been seventeen when they first met. Kei had been fifteen. Clueless about the world and more than just a little lost, it was nee-san who showed him the ropes, taught him how to survive, trained him to know who not to trust. He owes her a lot, and she does what she does for the same reasons as Kei. 

“I’m so sorry we’re late! The traffic was terrible—anyway, here, I brought you something.”

She hands him a plastic bag of tteokbokki, knows it’s his favorite, and Kei’s smile doesn’t have to be forced after all. Absently, he hears Geonu huff where he is, mopping the floor to rid it of water and mud but still watching what’s taking place, obviously. Kei ignores him. 

“That’s ok. Who do we have here?”

Not wanting to keep the person trailing behind nee-san separate from their conversation since he’s why they’re all here in the first place, the first thing that registers with Kei is the boy’s hair. It’s unnaturally blonde, soft-looking and delicate, beads of rainwater dotting the wavy strands like wayward stars. It frames a pretty, emotionless face, and for a minute, Kei just stares. 

Only nee-san’s loud reply pulls him back to the here and now.

“Ah yes! This is Nishimura Riki—”

“Niki,” the blonde boy says, voice pitched low, almost a mumble. “I prefer Niki.”

Kei realizes he has to smile again, the expression having disappeared without his knowing. Strange because for a split second there, he almost feels disoriented. Mentally chastising himself from drifting off during an actual conversation, Kei stands a little straighter. 

“Hi Niki-ssi, I’m Kei-hyung. It looks like you’re going to be staying with me.”

Niki’s stare is unwavering, his eyes sharp as he looks at Kei. Silence ensues at his words, and Kei only realizes the quiet is a beat too long when, from his peripheral vision, he notices Geonu stopping in his actions to see why the conversation has suddenly reached a standstill. 

“Yeah,” Niki says a few seconds shy of awkward. He pushes his hands inside the pockets of his hoodie and shrugs, holding eye contact and making Kei a little uncomfortable. “I guess I am.”

Another beat of silence, thankfully broken by nee-san clapping her hands together. 

“Ok, we’re all set then. Niki-yah, please remember what I told you. Kei-kun, I’ll send you a message, thank you. I’m going to need updates everyday!”

Kei nods his head and bows as customary, giving Niki a pointed look when he doesn’t do the same. Their gazes meet, and the boy rolls his eyes but bows too. _Attitude,_ Kei thinks, but he doesn’t want them to start on the wrong foot so he doesn’t say anything—not yet anyway. 

“All right nee-san. Talk to you soon.”

Behind shelves of sweet snacks, Kei doesn’t notice it this time but Geonu keeps his eyes trained on Nishimura Riki.

* * *

**_[The Ministry of Scientific and Mythological Research, Yongsan-gu]_ **

**Confidential File: DO NOT DISCLOSE**  
Operation **VERITAS—** _target NINETAILS has entered the grid._  
_General area, Seoul. Tracking coordinates...................................._  
_For capture if found._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I'll probably update The Kiln tomorrow. Hopefully.**


End file.
